Subj : Microsoft is allowing some users to run Office in AWS
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Thu Aug 03 2023 15:45:04

Microsoft is allowing some users to run Office in AWS

Date:
Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:27:16 +0000

Description:
Microsoft has backpedaled on a decision to price AWS customers out of its 
software, but not entirely.

FULL STORY
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A change to Microsofts licensing noticed by Directions on Microsoft (DoM) 
will now see AWS customers finally be able to run Microsofts office software 
on their virtual desktop at no extra cost. 

The change represents a distinct backpedal on a licensing term introduced in 
2019, which saw Microsoft discourage users from running its software on other 
non-Microsoft clouds by means of increased cost. 

The most recent revision, which came into play on August 1, reverses that for 
Amazon WorkSpaces customers. Microsoft backpedals on its non-MS cloud stance 

Previously, AWS, Google, and Alibaba customers will have had to pay 
substantially more to run Microsoft software than they would have on Azure, 
says DoM. Read more 

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countries 

Beginning August 1, 2023, users with specific licenses may run Microsoft 365 
Apps for enterprise/business, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Visio on 
Amazon WorkSpaces," the company said in a change to its product terms. 

"The licenses that will be eligible under this revised policy include 
Microsoft 365 E3/E5/A3/A5 and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. If you 
currently have any of these licenses, starting from August 1, you will be 
able to utilize these Microsoft applications on Amazon WorkSpaces virtual 
desktop infrastructure. 

While this, at first, appears to be great news for AWS customers, there are 
clear drawbacks, as highlighted by DoM analyst Wes Miller, who said that 
using Microsoft software on Azure still remains cheaper: 

Youll need a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 subscription for every user accessing 
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise (Office) on WorkSpaces Not Microsoft 365 
licensed separately. Not Office 365 E3. You need Microsoft 365 E3+, even if 
you don't need EMS (Enterprise Mobility and Security). And you still need VDA 
(Virtual Desktop Access) for your WorkSpaces users." 

Its unclear why Microsoft has made these licensing changes, and the company 
did not immediately respond to our request for further comment. However, more 
broadly, Redmond has been under fire in the EU over several antitrust cases 
relating to cloud dominance and the unfair packaging of Teams into its 
Microsoft 365 bundle. 

The company has also come under scrutiny in the US after a Chinese hacker 
reportedly got access to Microsoft-hosted government officials emails. Check 
out our roundup of the best online collaboration tools



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/microsoft-is-allowing-some-users-to-run-office-i
n-aws


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